Method of making tinsel garlands



March 2,11937. P. KRANZ ET AL 2,072,560

METHOD OF MAKING TINSEL GARLANDS Filed Dec. l0, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY March 2, 1937. Pl KRANZ ET AL METHOD OF' MAKING TINSEL GARLANDS Filed Deo. 10, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTO R N EY March 2, 1937. P KRANZ ET AL 2,072,560

METHOD OF MAKING TINSEL GARLANDS Patented Mar. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES vPATENT oFFIcE Philip Kranz and Albert I. Schmid, Philadelphia,

Pa., assignors to Bernard Wilmsen, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application December 10, 1936, Serial No. 115,172

4 claims. (ci. 411m Our invention relates to a new and useful tinsel garland of the type used for decorative purposes on Christmas trees and other festive occasions and displays and to anovel method and a novel machine of and for making the same, whereby a more decorative, less expensive, and more durable tinsel garland is produced than conventional tinsels known and used heretofore.

Garland tinsels of this character have heretofore been made by the feeding into a twisting machine of one or more supporting cords or other flexible elements and one or more tinsel strands or threads which are wound or braided together with the supporting cord. Tinsel thus made must, morder to present a uffy and attractive appearance, be made of a relatively great plurality of tinsel strands, which involves expense and relatively more complicated machinery and which also, because of the character of the tinsel strands, is rather fragile due to being thin and hence does not have enough body and enough light reflecting surfaces. Furthermore, the conventional tinsel referred to has been on the market for so long that it has become common place and hence is no longer considered very attractive and decorative.

Our invention therefore contemplates the production of a tinsel which will, due to its novelty, have an attractive appearance and thus constitute a distinct addition to the decorative art,

and one in which the tinsel is possessed of more body and more light reflecting area, such tinsel being at the same time produced by a less complicated machine and at greatly reduced expense.

It is a further object of our invention to produce a tinsel which can be formed from sheet tinfoil as distinguished from strands or of any sheet material such as sheet paper used for less expensive decorations.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a fragmentary and diagrammatic plan view of the tinsel-making machine with a portion of the tinsel or garland formed thereby.

Fig. 2 represents a view in elevation of the right hand side of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 represents a view in elevation of the left hand side of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 represents a fragmentary and diagrammatic view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing details of construction.

Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 6 and 7 represent, on an enlarged scale,

views showing certain details of the structurev of the garland or tinsel,

Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts, and describing only briefly the conventional driving mechanism of the piachine, I designates apulley adapted to be driven by any belt connecting with a source of power (not shown) to turn the shaft 2 which carries the cog Wheel 4 meshing with the idle cog wheel 6 on the stub shaft 8. The cog wheel 6 turns the cog wheel Ill on the shaft I2 which carries the bevel gear I4 which meshes with the bevelled gear I6 on the stub shaft I8. The stub shaft I8 carries the cog wheel 20 meshing with the cog wheel 22 into the shaft 24. The shaft 24 carries the sprocket 26 over which passes the chain 28. The chain 28 passes over the sprocket 30 on the shaft 32 which also carries the sprocket 34 over which travels the sprocket chain 36. The sprocket chain 36 travels over the sprocket wheel 38 on the shaft 4U. The shaft 40 carries the eccentric 42 to raise and lower the arm 44, the lower` end of which is secured at 46 to the link 41 which is provided with the adjustment slot 48. The link 41 terminates in the plate 50, which is loosely mounted on the shaft 56 and which carries the dogs 52 which engage the ratchet wheel 54, fast on the shaft 56, so that, as the arm 44 is raised by the eccentric 42, the dogs 52 turn the ratchet wheel in the direction of the arrow. The shaft 56 carries the bottom roller 58 which has at its other end the gear 60 which meshes with the gear 62 on the shaft 64 which carries the upper roller 66 to rotate the latter. 68 designates the sheet material which is fed in a step by step manner with the intermittent rotation of the ratchet wheel 54 by the eccentric arm 44, as set forth. designates any conventional adjustable tensioning mechanism for adjusting the pressure on the sheet material 68 as it passes between the rollers. The shaft 40 also carries the eccentrics 14 which intermittently raise and lower the knife or cutter 16 in synchrol cut-out portion 88 which serves to retain uncut` the corresponding portion 69 of the sheet material 68, and further to guard against cutting of the various strands used in the braiding or the winding of the finished tinsel which will next be described. 90 designates one or more rolls of the sheet material Il of any desired width and which may be paper of one or more colors on either or both faces, or which may be tinfoil or any similar material adapted for use for decorative purposes. l! designates one or more rolls of any desired metallic strands, textile threads, y`arns, or other applicable nexible elements or a combination thereof, which pass over one or more guides Il and under the roller It. I6 designates one or more supplemental rolls of metallic strands, textile threads, yarns, or other flexible elements which pass over one or more guides 91 through the opening It to Join the strands from the rollers I2 with the sheet material 8l therebetween. The ends of the strands from the rolls Il and C! are Joined and connected to the hook I" on the spinner |02 which is rotated by the belt or other means I from any desired source of power (not shown). The spinner |02 is carried by a frame i. which is actuated longitudinally of the machine, and away from the roller It by the conventional mechanism now used in the making of conventional tinsel, in order to draw the tinsel or garland III as it emerges from the machine. 'I'he main frame of the machine is provided with any desired adjusting `devices lill to vary the width according to the width of the sheet material il. If it is desired to turn the machine by hand, the usual crank Il! may be provided.

The operation is as follows:

The sheet material Il, which may be tinfoil of one or more colors on either or both of its faces or which may be paper or other satisfactory decorative sheet material from one or more rolls l0, is passed between the rollers 66 and ll through the opening Ill and under the roller B6. The binding cord I6, which may be a single strand or which, as shown, may consist of a plurality of strands of metallic, textile or a combination of both, is passed over the guides 81 through the opening ls and under the roller 88 and sheet material I.. Similarly, the other binding cord 92, which also may be of a single strand or a plurality of strands, as stated, travels past the guides Il and under the roller 80 to a point above or on the upper side of the sheet material 8l. 'Ihe ends of the cords C and l2 are connected to the hook Ill which is carried by the spinner |02 to twist the cords l2 and 98 together to produce the braided effect illustrated. The movement of the rocker arm 44 effects s. step by step or intermittent feeding to the sheet material synchronously with the actuation of the cutter 16 by the eccentrios 'Il so that, as the sheet material 68 is advanced or fed through the opening l Il, the cutter 'Il descends upon it and slits it transversely from the ends of the uncut portion 69 to the longitudinal edges of the sheet material, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. 'Ihe cords 92 and 86 are braided about the relatively solid uncut portion 69 and the twist of the cords around the portion 69 imparts a general twist or ruiiiing to the nished product which gives it a full fluffy appearance and renders it highly eifective and light-reflecting. In the conventional making of tinsel the frame |06 which carries the spinner |02 is gradually pulled away from the roller 8B to draw the nished garland and it advances through the machine, *he idea being that when the frame |06 has reached the far end of the frame of the machine, the operator stops the machine, pulls the frame over towards the roller Il, severs the completed -portion of garland which is then of a predeter` mined length, reconnecta the combined cords l2 and It to the hook III, and starts the machine up again to make another length of garland or tinsel. Since the frame I and the means by which it is actuated from the roller Il and pulled back towards the roller Il are weil known, it is deemed unnecessary to describe them in further detail.

It will thus be seen that-by our novel machine and method we produce a garland or tinsel from a single sheet of material fed at the rear of the machine and we thus eliminate the necessity for using prepared tinfoil strands from a plurality of spools. It will further be seen that by braiding the binding cords over the relatively large uncut portion l! we produce a much more solid and reinforced construction and one which can stand handling and is more durable than the tinsel made from tinfoil strands in the well known manner. It will be seen that by changing the position of the fastening nut 48 in the slot of the link 41, the width of the strips into which the sheet material is shredded is altered accord* ingly.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of making a tinsel yor garland which consists in intermittently feeding a sheet material under a cutter, shredding the longitudinal marginal portions-only of said sheet material whereby a central longitudinal portion thereof is left uncut, feeding binding cords above and below said sheet material, and twisting said binding cords together to confine said central uncut portion therebetween.

2. The method of making a tinsel or garland which consists in automatically feeding a sheet material under a cutter, shredding the longitudinal marginal portions only of said sheet material vwhereby a central longitudinal portion thereof is left uncut, feeding binding cords above and below said sheet material, and twisting said binding cords together to confine said central uncut portion therebetween.

3. The method of making a tinsel or garland which consists in feeding a sheet material to .a cutter, shredding the longitudinal marginal portions only of said sheet material into strips of predetermined width, the juxtaposed ends of said strips being connected by an uncut central longitudinal portion of said sheet material, and twisting a binding cord about said central uncut portion.

4. 'I'he method of making a tinsel or garland which consists in intermittently feeding multicolored sheet material to a cutter, shredding longitudinal marginal portions only of said sheet material into strips of predetermined width, whereby the central longitudinal portion of said sheet material is left uncut, feeding binding cords above and below said sheet material and twisting said binding cords together.

ALBERT P. SCHMID. PHILIP KRANZ. 

